Sir Mo Farah backs migration bid of man whose identity he was given to come to the UK
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A landmark Daily Mail investigation and new three-part podcast series, The Other Mo Farah, reveal the story of the real Mohamed Farah – the child whose name, birth place and birth day were used when Sir Mo Farah was brought to the UK in 1993.
This is the first time Mohamed has spoken publicly about the decades that followed: years marked by poverty, instability and danger. His voice was largely absent from the BAFTA-winning 2022 documentary in which Sir Mo revealed he had travelled to the UK on another boy’s visa; The Other Mo Farah gives that boy – now a 42-year-old man – the opportunity to tell his account in full.
By Daily Mail reporters Kamal Sultan and Andy Jehring, the series features exclusive interviews with Mohamed and his family, and includes on-the-ground reporting from Nairobi, Mogadishu and Istanbul – as well as the first-ever audio of Mohamed’s reunion with his mother after 31 years apart.
Separated from his parents during the Somali civil war, Mohamed scraped a living in Nairobi earning £2 a day, moving repeatedly between overcrowded and temporary accommodation. Despite this instability, he developed into a talented fast bowler for a local cricket club – raising stark questions about the life he might have lived had he travelled to the UK on the visa originally intended for him.
The investigation also reveals a major development: Sir Mo Farah has now signed a witness statement supporting Mohamed’s ongoing bid to reunite with his parents in Britain.
Mohamed remains overseas awaiting a decision.
Usage terms: All coverage should reference and link to the three-part podcast The Other Mo Farah, available on all major audio platforms.
KEY REVELATIONS
The visa intended for Mohamed Farah was used by another child – the boy who became Sir Mo
In 1993, a UK family reunion visa issued for Mohamed Farah was used instead by another young boy fleeing the Somali civil war – the child who would become Sir Mo Farah. Mohamed remained in East Africa, unaware that his identity had enabled the journey that would lead to Olympic fame.
Mohamed spent over 30 years in poverty and instability while his name became Olympic history
Separated from his parents during the Somali civil war, Mohamed grew up in Nairobi surviving on £2 a day, shifting between overcrowded or temporary accommodation and experiencing periods of homelessness.
Mohamed only learned the truth because of Sir Mo’s Olympic victories – and this investigation reunites him with his mother after 31 years
A year after Sir Mo’s 2012 Olympic triumphs, members of the Somali community told him: “You know he is using your name.”
This was the first time Mohamed realised another child had travelled on his visa.
His mother, Leyla, had reached the UK decades earlier, believing he would follow; instead, they spent 31 years apart, communicating primarily through cassette recordings.
The Daily Mail investigation reunites Mohamed and Leyla for the first time in more than three decades, a central moment captured in the podcast.
Despite Mohamed’s hardships, he consistently expressed pride rather than bitterness, telling the investigation he was happy to see “Mo Farah” succeed and that he wished him well throughout his athletic career.
The 2022 documentary brought first contact and now over three years later, this is the first time he is speaking in-depth about his story
Sir Mo’s BAFTA-winning documentary was the moment Mohamed first heard from him personally. At the time, Mohamed was studying in Istanbul – his fees paid through his mother’s zero-hours contract as a UK care worker.
In the months that followed, Mohamed declined many further interviews and media approaches, believing he should not speak publicly while waiting to understand whether any route to the UK might materialise.
More than three years on, this investigation is the first time he has spoken in-depth about his experiences.
A major development: Sir Mo has now signed a witness statement supporting Mohamed’s case to reach the UK
After seeing Mohamed’s filmed appeal, Sir Mo Farah has signed a witness statement supporting Mohamed’s attempt to join his parents in Britain.
Human rights lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie says: “This tips the scales further on Mohamed’s side.”
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